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Grateful DeadGrateful Dead Live at Family Dog at the Great Highway on 1970-02-04 (February 4, 1970)

This show has been commercially released as "Dick's Picks Vol. 4" and/or "Bear's Choice"

Collection: GratefulDead
Band/Artist: Grateful Dead
Date: February 4, 1970 (check for other copies)
Venue: Family Dog at the Great Highway
Location: San Francisco, CA

Source: Soundboard
Lineage: MSR > C > D > CD
Transferred by: Seth Kaplan
Keywords: Live concert

Description

Hard to Handle, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, St. Stephen > Not Fade Away > St. Stephen > Midnight Hour, Jam

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Reviewer: mishap13 - - October 31, 2008
Subject: great dancing chicks!
Hard to Handle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjVlA2E_fOI

China --> Rider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvq2JTWdJ1U

Jam (GD w/Jefferson Airplane and Santana)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dNxpsW0DMM

Eskimo Blue Day (Airplane)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz-V8HVWa_g

Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil (Airplane)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrTS7b028A8

Reviewer: Pulver@Noyo - - September 27, 2008
Subject: Dodgy?
The sound quality is fine for 1970, especially at the Great Highway Dog. Although it is indeed garbled and hissy, I always have to chuckle when I read reviews of these early shows and the reports of "less than" sound quality. Most people would have loved recordings that were this good back then and cherished them as such. In this modern age of all digital and no hiss etc., I still find myself drawn to these analog heirlooms, warts and all. I sure hope Chet Helms makes it into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

Reviewer: Darrylizer - - September 27, 2008
Subject: Watch this on YouTube
This video including Hard To Handle followed by China Rider is up on YouTube and it is smashing. The HTH is solid and smoking and the China Rider well played and exploratory. The rest of the set isn't bad either tho sound issues are prevalent. Its still very worthy of a listen.

Reviewer: georgeof420 - - September 30, 2006
Subject: Sounds good so far...
...But where do I find video footage of this PBS stuff or audio footage of Santana and Airplane for this show. If anyone knows or has this good stuff, please email georgeof420@yahoo.com. Thankye.

Reviewer: zihugeth - - January 17, 2006
Subject: we need tv like this!!!
i had this tv show for a while and it was incredible all those bands and then they get toghther and JAM...it was a great view thru the wayback machine if you get a chance see the PBS show...

Reviewer: Susep - - September 19, 2005
Subject: Good variable
The jam after Midnight is very cool> after Carlos barely audible solos Lesh lays it down with Santana percussion. Next Jerry solos, gliding over a tribal funk. A merge of the ages!

Reviewer: sheikyerbouti - - November 15, 2004
Subject: Great midnight hour but sound quality dodgy at best
Nice little snippet but this is for when you have exhausted all the other mint recordings. I was first to review this not sure why as it is good but sounds distorted and hissy with cuts...

Notes

Recorded by PBS at the Family Dog on 02-04-70 and originally broadcast on 12-13-70 for a television documentary entitled, "San Francisco Rock: A Night At The Family Dog" filmed at the Family Dog on 02-04-70. The China > Rider has been matched with this date but the rest of the setlist does not match either Deadbase or Deadlists which also lists a 06:26 Hard to Handle prior to China > Rider and notes that sets were also performed by the Jefferson Airplane and Santana. The St. Stephen > NFA > St. Stephen > Midnight Hour following China > Rider is continuous with the China > Rider in terms of the source quality, crowd and overall musical feel. Accordingly, it appears that this is all one set.

Hard to Handle and the "All Star Jam" included here and sourced from the PBS TV broadcast were missing from the previously circulating tape.

There has been some confusion about this tape where it was initially labeled as 08-30-70, which was a KQED broadcast called Calibration. This is a well-documented show though, and the set list is completely different from the one above.